The primary goal of the Center for Hearing Loss in Children is to improve the future prospects of children with all degrees of hearing loss, from mild to profound, through a tightly integrated program of research, research training, continuing education and information dissemination. All programs of the Center, including the six proposed research projects, are organized around three overall themes: 1) early identification of educationally significant hearing loss, 2) the effective remediation of educationally significant hearing loss, and 3) understanding the causes of hearing loss in children with the ultimate goal of prevention and treatment. Because both research and clinical practice in the field of childhood hearing loss entail multidisciplinary efforts, the Research Program will employ techniques drawn from behavioral research, genetics, and neurobiology. A Research Training Program for trainees ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral fellows will be offered in all areas of research conducted by the Center. Special emphasis will be placed on recruiting students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or members of underrepresented minority groups. The Continuing Education Program is targeted at the diverse group of professionals who serve children with hearing loss. The Information Dissemination Program is designed to provide parents with information on a variety of topics related to raising a child with hearing loss and to educate the public about identification, causes, and consequences of childhood hearing loss and how to prevent it. The Information Dissemination Program complements the Research Training Program with a unique effort to inform parents, counselors, and students with hearing loss about career opportunities in the communication sciences.